Deutsche Beteiligungs AG invests in Cleanpart Group

Industrial services for the semi-conductor industry

Leading market position in Europe and the US

MBO aimed at resolving the succession

Fourth MBO in current financial year

Frankfurt am Main, 23 March 2015. Deutsche Beteiligungs AG will invest alongside its advised DBAG Fund VI in the Cleanpart Group, an engineering services provider to the semi-conductor and related industries. DBAG and DBAG Fund VI will acquire the majority of the company in a management buyout (MBO). The investment is aimed at further driving the company’s strategic development. The present managing shareholder, Dr Jörg Hohnloser, will remain a major shareholder as well as committed to the company in the role of President and Chairman of the Advisory Board. Cleanpart’s management will also acquire an interest in Cleanpart as part of the transaction. Initially, DBAG will invest 12.5 million euros from its own balance sheet for its share (13 percent) in the company, including a bridge loan. The parties to the contract, which was signed on Friday, agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The transaction is still subject to regulatory approval. Cleanpart is DBAG’s fourth MBO in its current 2014/2015 financial year.

Cleanpart (www.cleanpart.de) services process-critical production tool components which are primarily used in semi-conductor production (i.e. logic chips, memory chips). These components are contaminated and wear out during the complex production process chain. Therefore, they have to be decontaminated, cleaned, coated and replaced regularly in order to maintain the extreme standards of cleanliness and performance required by chip manufacturers during the production process. This also increases the components’ service life. Cleaning and coating are integral parts of the service process, during which chemical, mechanical and thermal cleaning procedures are used before the components are coated. Most often the components are then packaged under cleanroom conditions for further use.

Component servicing is performed at the company’s own facilities, which are located near major customers in Europe and the US. Cleanpart generates some three-quarters of its revenues in the semi-conductor industry (2014: 42 million euros). The company also serves customers in other sectors, such as the biomedical, photovoltaic and automotive industries and is active as sterile surgical instrument service provider in the healthcare industry.

Cleanpart employs a staff of 327 at 14 locations in Germany, France and the US. Because of its strong technological position, the company is positioned amongst the leading providers in Europe and the US.

DBAG intends to back Cleanpart in realizing its development potential. The company plans to expand its service portfolio. The business in industries other than the semi-conductor industry – such as the health-care sector – will also be expanded. In addition to organic growth, add-on acquisitions are planned to drive the company’s development.

“Cleanpart is a well-positioned company in our core sector of industrial services thanks to its strong market presence and exceptional technological differentiation,” said Torsten Grede, Spokesman of the Board of Management of Deutsche Beteiligungs AG, commenting on Friday’s signing. “Using our many years of investment experience in industrial service companies, we want to support Cleanpart in taking advantage of its market opportunities.”

Dr Jörg Hohnloser, managing shareholder of Cleanpart Group, stressed his company’s development opportunities following the change in ownership: “Through DBAG’s entry, Cleanpart will be in a position to make those acquisitions and investments that will help to further expand the company’s leading international position and guarantee for our customers highest-quality products and processes that meet ever more demanding standards and requirements.”